is first Olympics and plays in Australias National Basketball League, is relishing every moment of the experience so far and is enjoying Boguts tweets.Andrews quick-witted, h

BRASILIA, Brazil -- There was annoyance. Maybe a touch of frustration. But in the aftermath of a surprising draw against Colombia in Tuesdays Group G finale, there was no worry in the words or faces of American players. If such feelings lurked beneath, they hid them masterfully.U.S. womens national team co-captain Becky Sauerbrunn said only a loss would have been reason to worry because only a loss would have changed the calculus on a quarterfinal opponent and destination.As in, where do we go from here?Logistically, the answer didnt change after the draw against Colombia. All the United States needed to clinch first place in the group was a draw, and it got that point -- while at the same time getting plenty of rest for players who needed it and minutes for players who hadnt had many of those to this point in the tournament. It was a surprising result but not calamitous.The Americans still woke up the next day and headed to Brasilia, the preferred plan all along.But where do they go from here?Less literally, after the charter flight to Brazils capital, its the question still to be answered as the United States prepares to face Sweden in Fridays Olympic quarterfinal (noon ET). Will the unsatisfying result in Manaus versus Colombia end up a footnote, like the scoreless draw against Sweden in last years World Cup group stage? Or was it a harbinger of something more, a team not peaking at the right moment or short some necessary ingredient?It is often the captains to whom we turn for answers.I wouldnt want a perfect journey to the top, said co-captain Carli Lloyd. Theres really no such thing. ... The [Golden State] Warriors, take for example, who were on a perfect run and then ended up not winning -- thats happened over and over with teams. And I think everyone just needs to take a deep breath and relax. We tied against Colombia, but its all good.The captains a year ago were givens; the limited minutes Abby Wambach and Christie Rampone played in the World Cup were less important than their résumés. Their very presence pushed the team to a World Cup title that had become an almost Ahab-like quest.That team was a reflection of them. New to the role, Sauerbrunn and Lloyd are reflections of the team they lead. A quietly confident team that believes it understands what is required to win a tournament like this, a team that wasnt going to sweat a draw on a sweltering night in Manaus.The culture of the team is so entrenched that probably as they came through it, they took on qualities of the program, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said of her two co-captains (although Lloyd wears the armband). They were selected because they represent those traits so well.Sweden coach Pia Sundhage -- who is familiar to American fans after leading the national team to two Olympic gold medals and nearly ending its World Cup drought -- said Thursday she was not surprised to see either Lloyd or Sauerbrunn as a captain. She affirmed this despite bumps in the road in her relationships with both players, including a frank assessment of Lloyds temperament as recently as the eve of last years World Cup (the coach chose only to praise Lloyds skills this time around) and the long wait Sauerbrunn endured to crack Sundhages roster.Sauerbrunn is quietly contemplative, while Lloyd so often plays with what seems a silent fury. Both paid their dues to get where they are in ways that some of their younger teammates will never experience but need to understand.We [still] have a certain culture thats ingrained within our team, defender Meghan Klingenberg said. Thats to be fighters, to have an awesome mentality, to never give up. Its to practice when were ... not together. So we have a really great culture to begin with. But I think that the captains that we have do a good job of bringing everybody together, making sure were on the same page when were playing, making sure that we have everything we need to be the best team we can be.When asked where the teams ability to finish challenges comes, Megan Rapinoe suggests its an identity learned through older players providing, shall we say, pointedly worded encouragement to never relent.It is by design and necessity a cutthroat environment, like almost any that produces the best in the world at something. Yet it is different now, different because of the youth on the roster and the peace of mind a World Cup title gives the veterans -- not just the captains, but players in leadership roles like Tobin Heath, Alex Morgan and Hope Solo.I think even from last year, the World Cup, I feel like we were way more tense, Heath said. Not to say that we dont have the same focus and the same intentions that we did last World Cup, but I think there was just so much built around ... winning that because we hadnt won [in 16 years], that there was this great pressure that not only I felt like we put on ourselves, but we had from the outside world as well.When we accomplished what we set out to do in the World Cup, I feel like that almost took the pressure off of us and allowed us to then grow as a team this year and push and progress in the ways that we want to and in our style. Now come the Olympics; we still have the same intentions and the same goals, but the feeling is a little more free in that way.Which is why we wait to see how this team will respond.The United States has plenty of tangible challenges ahead, first on Friday but also beyond if the team advances. That begins with a field in Brasilia that looked Thursday much the worse for wear on the eve of its ninth game in nine days. Olympic organizers didnt immediately respond to queries on who oversees the playing surface, but one end of the field had sizable swaths that were barren of grass.Conditions that could keep the ball from playing true will affect another of the challenges awaiting the Americans, a Swedish team that isnt likely to let itself be drawn into an end-to-end game, just as it measured its steps in the scoreless draw a year ago in Winnipeg.They will park the bus, Ellis said of Sweden. They will play as low as they possibly can, sit as low as they possibly can, and then look to transition. Theyre going to try and kill the game that way and make it very, very hard, not give up space.That makes a U.S. midfield that has produced goals, directly from the foot of Lloyd or off a pair of Morgan Brian assists, all the more important in finding space. Tangibly and tactically, the United States needs the midfield, particularly Brian, to play to its full potential and with greater abandon.Theres going to be 6 yards between their back line and their midfield line, Ellis said. So for our midfield, its going to be really important about how we find spaces to play. ... As we start to get to this point, it is more about letting them express themselves. I think were going to have a lot of the ball in our opponents half, and weve got to play. Morgan Brian is one of our most creative players; Im really excited to see her. ...Theyve got to feel the game and read the game, and I think Mo, especially, does that exceptionally well.That has everything to do with talent and tactics, but it comes from players in the right mindset to make use of those skills. After a win against France in March this year, Lloyd voiced frustration with a lack of service sent her way. The sentiments were honest and not even particularly damning, even if they conflicted with her coachs assessment minutes earlier of a team beginning to understand a new style. Perhaps a few words were spoken between coach and player, a reminder of how a captains words carry. But whatever the source, Lloyd has been a consistent voice of calm belief ever since. If she leads, others will follow.Thats the beauty about leadership, I think, is you get something different with Abby and Pearcie [Rampone] than you do with Becky and Carli, Brian said. Ive always looked up to Becky as a leader on this team, from day one since Ive been here. Shes a quiet leader. She does everything correctly, on the field and off the field. She leads in that way. And Carli has always been someone, especially me playing in the midfield with her when I first got on the team, she leads by playing on the field. She brings it every single day.Friday well find out where their team goes from here.Cheap Ecco Ireland . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. Ecco Mens Shoes Ireland . The deal is pending a physical, assistant general manager Bobby Evans said. Traded from Seattle to Baltimore on Aug. 30, Morse also can play first base and right field to give manager Bruce Bochy some flexibility in writing his lineup. http://www.eccosaleireland.com/ .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Ecco Sale Ireland . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Discount Ecco Shoes . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Australian Olympic team mission chief Kitty Chiller on Tuesday laughed off mens basketball center Andrew Boguts critical tweets over problems he is encountering at the Olympic Village.Australian team members have criticized the village for its lack of readiness while enduring a variety of difficulties delaying their check-in. A fire then broke out on Sunday, and team shirts and a laptop were reported stolen on Monday.Bogut, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks, took to Twitter to vent his frustration at the various issues he has encountered in the village with a series of tongue-in-cheek tweets taking aim at the lack of a shower curtain and the size of the beds partnered by the hashtag #IOCLuxuryLodging.Hes the best man to fix a shower curtain as hes exactly the right height, Chiller said when asked about Boguts tweets. [The tweet] was a bit of fun. The village is what it is -- were all mucking in and doing stuff and theres no harm in it.Regarding the size of Boguts bed, Chiller added: Hes got a big bed with a nice big mosquito net. Hes like a princess in there.This is NBA point guard Patty Mills third Olympics, and he has no complaints about the village, nor is he jealous of the USA basketball team, which is staying on a luxury cruise liner.I much prefer to cuddle with my teammates, Mills jokked.dddddddddddd We all grew up together playing basketball, so we are a tight bunch.Damian?Martin, who will take part in his first Olympics and plays in Australias National Basketball League, is relishing every moment of the experience so far and is enjoying Boguts tweets.Andrews quick-witted, hes intelligent, he tells it how it is and its funny for other people to read his tweets,?Martin said. Its one of those things that well laugh about, and its part of the story of my first Olympics. Hes a funny guy and a lot of it is tongue-in-cheek.News of the Australian teams misgivings over the state of the village first broke on July 25, and Chiller hopes the focus will now move from their logistical problems to the athletes, adding that the womens water polo team will check into the village on Tuesday after being quarantined with illness.We had a bit of a turning point yesterday and its all about the athletes now, which is nice, Chiller said. Weve got 250 [athletes], and by the end of today itll be 300. Weve got our flag-raising on Wednesday to welcome Australia officially to the village, and thatll be the tipping point -- its Games on and the focus will be on the sport and the athletes. ' ' '